Directions

How to get to Bobs Lake

Bobs Lake is located in Ontario, 1 hr 40 minutes from Ottawa, 45 minutes from Kingston, 3 – 3 1/2 hours from Toronto. It is a 7 hour drive from Philadelphia and a 3 hour drive from Syracuse. There is an airport in Kingston, 45 minutes from the cottage. You can also fly to Ottowa and it is a 1 hr 40 minute drive to the cottage.

From the US: liquor questions:

Question: Can I Bring Liquor To Canada – How Much Liquor Can I Bring To Canada?Answer: If you are of legal drinking age (the drinking age in Canada is either 18 or 19 depending on the province), you are allowed to bring in, free of duty and taxes, either 1.5 litres of wine, or 1.14 litres (40 ounces) of liquor, or 24 x 355 millilitres (12 ounces) cans or bottles (8.5 litres) of beer or ale.

If you bring in more than this amount, it will cost you in both customs assessment and provincial / territorial taxes.

Driving Directions To Bobs Lake Cottages

(Follow these directions if you are going to the Great House, Eagle House, Lake House, or the Little House)

BOBS LAKE COTTAGES [FORMERLY MORTERS]
75 BURNS LANE NORTH
GODFREY, ON

Important Note: When crossing into Canada and back into the United States, travelers must show picture ID and Passport.

North on 81 — cross the border beyond Watertown.

Continue on 401 going west toward toronto

Get off at exit 611

Turn left / north on 38 [toward Sharbot Lake and away from kingston]

Go about 20-30 minutes on 38 until you get to Westport road. You will see a boat deale [LD Sports], and a gas station with general store on your left at the intersection of 38 and Westport road. [The Westport Road sign is a bit ahead of the actual turn]

Make a right on Westport road

Go about 20-25 minutes until you get to Burridge road. Make a left on Burridge road. If you miss Burridge road you will come, within a minute or two, to a yellow flashing light and a sign that says “Fermoy.” Turn around and go back for a minute or two and then make a right on Burridge road

Take Burridge road for about five minutes until you get to Greenbay road. Burridge road becomes unpaved at that intersection.

Make a left turn on Greenbay road

Continue for five-seven minutes on Greenbay road until you come to Burns lane. At the intersection you will see a different signs. A small one will say “Stoneridge cove” which is right next to our compound

Make a right on burns lane

Continue on burns lane for five minutes or so until you come to a fork.

Take the right hand of the fork . This is Burns Lane North

Continue for 2 minutes until you come to the volleyball court. Stay to your left and follow the signs into our camp. The sign will say “Morters.”

Driving Directions to Badour Island Cottages

No matter where you are coming from, you have to get to Route 38. Google Maps will tell you how to get there.

For your destination address, type in: City: Tichborne State: Ontario

Directions from Ottowa:

Take highway 416 to highway 7 and continue through Perth and Maberly to highway 38.

Turn south through Sharbot Lake and continue through Oconto.

Turn left on Bradshaw Road.

Directions from Highway 401:

Take exit 611, then turn north on highway 38.

Continue through Tichborne to Bradshaw Road. Turn Right.

Directions from Bradshaw Road:

Follow Bradshaw Road. You’ll cross over the railroad tracks.

Follow Bradshaw road past the township dump (where you’ll be bringing your garbage at the end of your stay), and the Pine Shores sign.

Cross over Pine Cone Lane and continue a few yards to Pine Shore Marina Lane. Turn left into the Marina.

Call Marla on her cell phone before you go down the hill to the marina as there is no cell phone coverage there. There will be one parking spot at the Marina. Other cars in your party can park on the side of the road or in the lot at the top of the road before you hit Pine Shore Marina Lane.

In addition, here are detailed directions from Philadelphia to Pine Shore Marina [for the two island properties]

76 West to 476 North. Toll booth for northeast extension (formerly Route 9, but now you are just going further on 476 North)

Go 66 miles to Lehigh Tunnel (66 miles)

Take exit 39 marked Clark Summit/Scranton to 81 NORTH – Wilkes-Barre. You will stay on 81 north all the way up to Watertown. Here are some markers: Binghamton takes 3 hours (180 mi), Cortland is the halfway mark and 3 1⁄2 hours (222 mi), Syracuse is 4 hrs (253 mi) and Watertown is 5 hours.

Right before you enter NY, if you’re hungry, Dobbs is a really good diner right off of exit 230 (it closes its doors at 8:45 PM.) It is just about 3 hours from Philadelphia, or 162 miles. Two nice towns to stop in for ice cream are Whitney Point (exit 8, 192 miles from Philadelphia.) They have a liquor store there as well.

Into NY, further up is Nedrow Fireside Diner, off of exit 16. That one is grungier than Dobbs, run by American Indians, fun and cheap.

Pulawski [after you have passed Syracuse] has 28 flavors of soft ice cream at the shop right before you get back onto 81 North (the route takes you through the whole town however.) Also tackle shops there.

At Watertown, take exit 45 for a great supermarket (Price Chopper). You will see the red and white Staples sign from the expressway. Price Chopper is right next to Staples. Fill up your tank. Gas is more expensive in Canada.

After Watertown, you will still be on 81 North and you will see signs for Thousand Island Bridge/ Canada. Follow those signs and you will shortly be at the border [you’re allowed to take in 2 bottles of wine]. After customs, start calculating from 0 (push the little button that gives you 0000).

Right after customs to the right you will see the sky deck, and Black and Decker factory outlet. That’s a good place to change your money and get a fishing license.

[You can take a detour into Kingston by turning right. There is a great supermarket just five minutes down the road and then to the right (Loblows) and a COSTCO’s five minutes down the road and then turn left.

At 50.3 miles, right before the town of Verona, is the last supermarket you will pass.

At 55.9 is a big yard on the left with boats. Next door is the last place to get gas (which you should have gotten in US where it is cheaper).

At 64.9 is the town of Parham. Right away, at 65 miles, bear right to stay on 38 North (a closed “Foodtown” may still have its sign out).

At 66.8 is the town of Tichborne

At 67.3 you cross railroad tracks

At 68.1 you will see a sign that says, BRADSHAW ROAD TO BOB’S LAKE ROAD

TURN RIGHT AT THAT SIGN ONTO BRADSHAW ROAD and put the numbers back to 000.

You will very quickly see a sign on the right that Welcomes you to Bedford Township.

At .5, cross railroad tracks and KEEP STRAIGHT, continuing on Bradshaw. If you are going to Badour and Isaacs Acres, DO NOT TURN RIGHT ONTO BOB’S LAKE ROAD [ If you are going to Oak Shore, turn right onto bobs lake road until you get to Oak Shore Estates where you will turn left] . Follow signs to Brown’s Camp

MAKE A LEFT on Pine Shore Marina Lane, and find a parking spot on the side of the road,(not the numbered spots) unless you are parking by prior arrangement in our spot, in which case you need to leave a note for the owner in the shack. You’ll need to have a boat at the Marina or be picked up by someone with a boat. If you are renting from us, we will talk to you by cell phone and direct you to the cottage. If you have a canoe or Kayak, it should take about 15 minutes. By motorboat, it’s about 2-3 minutes.

(These obsessive directions are dedicated to my friend Harriet, who got very lost with her husband Steve and tried to give me a psychoanalytic interpretation about my not wanting her to visit.)